Bailboad-chaib



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. R. BARNES, 0F BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT.

RAILROAD-CHAIR.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 20,617, dated June 22, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R. BARNES, of Brookfield, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a. new and Improved Chair for Securing the Rails of Railroads to their Sleepers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a transverse vertical section of my improvement taken in the line (m), Fig. 4. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section of ditto, taken in the line (y), (y), Fig. l. Fig. 3, is a horizontal section of ditto, taken in the line (s), (s), Fig. l. Fig. 4, is a plan or top view of ditto, the rails being removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in having one of the jaws of the chair attached to the base plate of the device and the other attached to a wedge which is fitted and works in a taper recess in the base plate, corresponding in form with the wedge. A key passes transversely-through the smaller end of the wedge adjoining the end of the base-plate and by being driven in or through the wedge draws firmly the wedge wit-hin its recess so as to cause the jaws to clasp the ends of the rails rmly.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents the base-plate of the chair and (a) is a taper recess formed at its center and running longitudinally with the base plate. This recess has inclined sides (o), (o), their upper ends projecting inward or inclining toward each other as shown clearly in Fig. l.

B, represents one of the jaws which is at.- tached to the base plate A, and may be cast with it both parts forming one piece. From the inner side and lower part of the jaw there is a horizontal projection (c) which extends the whole length of the jaw, see more particularly Figs. l and 4.

C, is a wedge which corresponding inversely with the form of the recess (a). To the upper surface of the wedge C, there is attached a horizontal projection (CZ), said projection having its inner edge directly at the center of the wedge as shown in Fig.

l. To the projection (d), the other jaw D, is attached said jaw corresponding in form and dimensions to the jaw B.

The jaws B, D, are parallel with each other and the projection (e) of the jaw B, is in the same plane with the projection (cl) of the wedge C, as shown clearly in Fig. l. The inner orface sides of the two jaws B, D, are curved corresponding inversely to the sides of the rails which they clamp, and to the upper surface of the jaw B, a vertical projection E, is attached. This projection has a horizontal or nearly horizontal upper surface and it extends nearly the whole length of the jaw, see Fig. 4, and dotted lines in Fig. 2.

F, F, represent the ends of two rails which are secured between the two jaws B, D. The bottoms of the rails rest on the projections (o), (d), and they are firmly clamped by the jaws, by driving the wedge C, in the recess and firmly drawing the wedge thereon by means of a key G, which is driven down transversely through the wedge and adjoining one end `of the base-plate.

It will be seen that the wedge C,.draws or forces the jaw D, against the jaw B. The projection E extends upward as high as the upper surface of the rails F, F, and relieves the port-ions of the rails at their junction of the wheels as the wheels run over said projection and the ends of the rails are thereby prevented from being injured by the percussive force of the wheels a difficulty which occurs more or less in all cases where no suitable provision is made to avoid it, in consequence of the wheels depressing to a certain degree the rails that they are on and thereby causing the ends of the succeeding rails to be elevated to receive the percussive force of the wheels.

The base-plate A, jaw B, with its projections E, and (o) may as previously stated all be cast in one piece, and the wedge C, projection and jaw D, may also be cast in one piece. The base plate A, is secured to the sleeper by spikes which pass through perforated lugs (ax) projecting from the base-plate as usual.

By this improvement the ends of the rails are not only firmly secured between the two jaws, but the jaws are prevented from casually working loose the wedge C, being firmly retained in place by the key G.

I do not claim the vertical projection E, on the jaw B, for the purpose of protecting theends of the rails from Wear for that or its equivalent has been previously used, nor do I claim broadly the use of Wedges for adjusting the movable aw, irrespective 5 of the arrangement herein Shown; but,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

The two javvs B, D, attached respectively to the base plate A, and Wedge C, and pro- 10 vided with the horizontal projections (c) (d), the base plate having a recess (a) formed on it to receive the Wedge and the Wedge secured firmly n position by the key Gr, substantially as and for theA purpose Set forth.

E. R. BARNES.

VitneSSes:

D. B. BARNES, CURTIS MORRIS. 

